‘Arrow’ Recap: Diggle Breaks Out, Church Breaks In
Warning: This recap contains spoilers for the “Penance” episode of Arrow.
Oliver is forced to break Diggle out of prison solo as the rest of the team deals with a brutal attack on the Star City police by Tobias Church. Are they up to the challenge? Well … almost.
The Plot
The team takes down a robber connected to Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) without Ragman, who quits the team following Felicity’s revelation that she directed the missile to Havenrock. Oliver goes off alone to rescue Diggle from jail, against Felicity’s better judgement. The evidence confiscated from the Church robbery turns out to be an explosive set to go off in the SCPD evidence locker. Church’s men storm the building, reclaiming the high-tech weapons they had lost. They immediately set off to eliminate the Anti-Crime Unit, and their only hope is Wild Dog, Artemis, Curtis (aka Mr. Olympia), and Ragman — who rejoins the team at the last minute. They save the ACU from Church’s attack, but Church captures Wild Dog during the melee. Meanwhile, Oliver frees Diggle and sets him up in the old H.I.V.E. headquarters.
The Flashback
The third and final Bratva test: Oliver sneaks into a jail to find one of Kovar’s employees. After he finds out how they communicate (via digital dead drop on the dark web), he reluctantly kills him. Anatoly tells him that now that he’s proved he fully trusts Bratva, he is now one of them.
Cut to the Chase
One of the great strengths — and weaknesses — of comic book properties is the speed of an emotional turn. In the real world, when you have one of those friendship-ending feuds and swear to never speak to that person again, it might be years before you even consider meeting, regardless of how silly the feud might be. In comics, though, all it takes is a speech and maybe one of those “Snap out of it!” slaps in the face.
It can be jarring — like in the case of David and Felicity — or it can be a relief, as in the case of Diggle in prison. Probably none of us have experienced seeing our entire city and family obliterated by a nuclear missile, but it’s pretty easy to understand David’s feelings, and it strains belief that he would be cool working with the woman who did it after she offers a couple of heartfelt apologies. Diggle may have been a little easier to swallow because we need him back in the Arrow Bunker: Oliver without Diggle is kind of an unrelenting jerk.
But comics are a place where evil can be defeated by punching it hard enough; it stands to reason that one perfectly crafted line like, “I’m not saying you shouldn’t do your penance. You probably should. But do it as Spartan,” would overcome any psychological obstacle.
Tobias Church
Now that we’ve had some time with him, what do you think? He’s a legitimate threat, no doubt; he’s consolidated all of Star City’s organized crime in a matter of weeks and is laying siege to police precincts. He’s got the charming swagger that’s the hallmark of any outstanding Arrow villain. On the other hand, who gets into fistfights with superheroes, even a superhero as low on the totem pole as Wild Dog? And is a Taser really the best his torturers can do? This series has shown us torture on multiple continents, and this guy looks like an amateur. Does he have what it takes to make it into the pantheon of the greats by the end of the season?
Quiverful of Thoughts
*“Anti-molecular compound”? You mean, “acid”? Why not just say “acid”?
*Clearly, there’s a George Lucas fan on staff: Diggle is in cell 1138. That’s a reference to Lucas’s first movie, THX-1138, and the number appears in many of his films. Maybe Digg just didn’t have time to put up any posters of a break-dancing Yoda?
Line of the Night: “I figured if you wanted to make your own decisions, you wouldn’t have gotten married.” Lyla and Diggle have the only (mostly) drama-free relationship in the Arrowverse, and it’s always a breath of fresh air to see their love and devotion expressed in odd ways — in this case, as a high-security prison breakout. If your significant other isn’t willing to fly a B-2 bomber to bust you out of jail, keep looking, because that’s not your soulmate.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.
